Why is it so damn hard to get started reading in Russian?

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issemiyaki
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Re: Why is it so damn hard to get started reading in Russian?

Postby issemiyaki » Fri Mar 18, 2022 5:19 am

Okay, I may need to jump into this conversation. @Acorngalaxy, I understand your ambition, and I applaud it. The only reason I am extremely fluent in my two languages is because I pushed like nobody’s business. I was the one trying to read the Garcia Marquez novels before I had a firm grip on the subjunctive. So, I know that burning desire you harbor to read the news. Trust me: we’re in the same boat.

With that being said, I think there is a way you can achieve what you’re looking for, but it might require taking a step back briefly.

The article you posted is full of very tricky grammatical notions from beginning to end. We’re talking plurals, noun-clusters, cases, etc.

My suggestion: shore up your grammar. I know that is not a popular suggestion, but given the gap between Romance languages and Russian, or even English and Russian, there is no way to get around it. In Russian, studying grammar appears to pay off big time.

Nowadays there are many Russian graded readers all the way up to the C1 level that will truly put you to the test, and yes, some of them are even harder than this article you posted. For example, I’m reading a graded reader now. It’s one of the best I’ve ever come across. The book separates the stories by cases, and even by verbs of motion. So, one story will focus on the prepositional case, and another on the instrumental case, and some on tricky verbs of motion; that way, you get ample practice reading those tricky passages that inevitably trip people up who have shaky grammar.

As was already mentioned, you also could focus on reading headlines for the time being. Just watch EuroNews in Russian, take a screen grab of a headline, and see if you can figure out WHY the headline might have said "В МосквЕ" or "на АласкЕ." One of the recent headlines read: “Poccияне без Instagram” – do you know why they used Poccияне instead of Росскии? Because they both are getting across the point that someone is “Russian.” But the point is: do you know WHY they chose one and not the other? This example, in particularly, is extremely cultural as well. That’s why I say: grammar is your best weapon for the moment.

So, I would recommend this book: Русский язык в упражнениях. (Funny, the very title is a quick lesson in Russian adjectives, plurals and cases.) Here’s the link if you want to check it out: https://ruslania.com/en/books/1963-russ ... -students/

After doing some of the exercises, you will start to recognize patterns, and you won’t be confused if you see something like: “Ивана … or … Владимира … or … Путина.”

All the best, and let’s see what ideas others have in mind.
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acorngalaxy
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Re: Why is it so damn hard to get started reading in Russian?

Postby acorngalaxy » Sat Mar 19, 2022 4:07 pm

issemiyaki wrote:Okay, I may need to jump into this conversation. @Acorngalaxy, I understand your ambition, and I applaud it. The only reason I am extremely fluent in my two languages is because I pushed like nobody’s business. I was the one trying to read the Garcia Marquez novels before I had a firm grip on the subjunctive. So, I know that burning desire you harbor to read the news. Trust me: we’re in the same boat.

With that being said, I think there is a way you can achieve what you’re looking for, but it might require taking a step back briefly.

The article you posted is full of very tricky grammatical notions from beginning to end. We’re talking plurals, noun-clusters, cases, etc.

My suggestion: shore up your grammar. I know that is not a popular suggestion, but given the gap between Romance languages and Russian, or even English and Russian, there is no way to get around it. In Russian, studying grammar appears to pay off big time.

Nowadays there are many Russian graded readers all the way up to the C1 level that will truly put you to the test, and yes, some of them are even harder than this article you posted. For example, I’m reading a graded reader now. It’s one of the best I’ve ever come across. The book separates the stories by cases, and even by verbs of motion. So, one story will focus on the prepositional case, and another on the instrumental case, and some on tricky verbs of motion; that way, you get ample practice reading those tricky passages that inevitably trip people up who have shaky grammar.

As was already mentioned, you also could focus on reading headlines for the time being. Just watch EuroNews in Russian, take a screen grab of a headline, and see if you can figure out WHY the headline might have said "В МосквЕ" or "на АласкЕ." One of the recent headlines read: “Poccияне без Instagram” – do you know why they used Poccияне instead of Росскии? Because they both are getting across the point that someone is “Russian.” But the point is: do you know WHY they chose one and not the other? This example, in particularly, is extremely cultural as well. That’s why I say: grammar is your best weapon for the moment.

So, I would recommend this book: Русский язык в упражнениях. (Funny, the very title is a quick lesson in Russian adjectives, plurals and cases.) Here’s the link if you want to check it out: https://ruslania.com/en/books/1963-russ ... -students/

After doing some of the exercises, you will start to recognize patterns, and you won’t be confused if you see something like: “Ивана … or … Владимира … or … Путина.”

All the best, and let’s see what ideas others have in mind.


thanks for the rec!
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issemiyaki
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Re: Why is it so damn hard to get started reading in Russian?

Postby issemiyaki » Sat Mar 19, 2022 4:46 pm

STT44 wrote:
issemiyaki wrote:
So, I would recommend this book: Русский язык в упражнениях. (Funny, the very title is a quick lesson in Russian adjectives, plurals and cases.) Here’s the link if you want to check it out: https://ruslania.com/en/books/1963-russ ... -students/


Just wanted to say that the book is also available on Amazon, and you'd save money if you are prepared to buy used.



Very true!
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themethod
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Re: Why is it so damn hard to get started reading in Russian?

Postby themethod » Sun Mar 20, 2022 7:05 pm

Personally, the turning point for my reading in Russian was when I decided to commit to using Anki every day.

Vocabulary was and is the biggest limiting factor for my reading, and learning Russian vocabulary from context just wasn't efficient enough for me. It's just too foreign, too many inflections, etc. Flashcards aren't fun but they make the input/immersion and other activities a lot more enjoyable and fulfilling.

I actually find roots to be more helpful for telling similar words apart, and grammar rarely effects my comprehension at this level. I haven't ignored it entirely, but for me, I feel like it's easier to dedicate time to grammar once you already have a feel for the language and have context for the rules you're learning.

In terms of materials, I found the Lingo Mastery books to be pretty good for graded readers. I have one of the Olly Richards/Teach Yourself books but wasn't that impressed by it.

The parallel texts released by Mark Pettus over the past year are incredible in their detail and structure, but it's mostly classic literature, so maybe not introductory reading. Though the Chekhov stories aren't too difficult or outdated. Currently I'm just reading translated Goosebumps books on my Kindle.
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Re: Why is it so damn hard to get started reading in Russian?

Postby leosmith » Mon Mar 21, 2022 3:55 pm

acorngalaxy wrote:Why is it so damn hard to get started reading in Russian?

It is a walk in the park compared to reading Japanese, Mandarin, Thai and Korean.
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Re: Why is it so damn hard to get started reading in Russian?

Postby jimmy » Mon Mar 21, 2022 4:06 pm

My Russian is not even B1 but I am sure that I have known the solution.
The solution in fact will be explained just in one line but might be difficult to obtain.
because : the solution is that anyone whoever would like both pronunciate russian and read it well should be exposed to Russian people.
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Fortheo
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Re: Why is it so damn hard to get started reading in Russian?

Postby Fortheo » Fri Mar 25, 2022 1:50 am

issemiyaki wrote:
STT44 wrote:
issemiyaki wrote:
So, I would recommend this book: Русский язык в упражнениях. (Funny, the very title is a quick lesson in Russian adjectives, plurals and cases.) Here’s the link if you want to check it out: https://ruslania.com/en/books/1963-russ ... -students/


Just wanted to say that the book is also available on Amazon, and you'd save money if you are prepared to buy used.



Very true!


Mind sharing the name of the graded reader that you mentioned?
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Re: Why is it so damn hard to get started reading in Russian?

Postby IronMike » Fri Mar 25, 2022 10:44 pm

This publisher, Русский Язык (Russian Language), has a series of great books like Русский язык в упражнениях. I had one years ago, came with a CD, that was solely about Russian humor. Their one on Russian motion verbs is particularly good. If you can find any of these books, they are well worth it.
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issemiyaki
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Re: Why is it so damn hard to get started reading in Russian?

Postby issemiyaki » Fri Jun 17, 2022 2:13 am

Fortheo wrote:
issemiyaki wrote:
STT44 wrote:
issemiyaki wrote:
So, I would recommend this book: Русский язык в упражнениях. (Funny, the very title is a quick lesson in Russian adjectives, plurals and cases.) Here’s the link if you want to check it out: https://ruslania.com/en/books/1963-russ ... -students/


Just wanted to say that the book is also available on Amazon, and you'd save money if you are prepared to buy used.



Very true!


Mind sharing the name of the graded reader that you mentioned?


I am so sorry for the delay. I literally have shut myself off from the world while I was practicing.

But the name of the graded reader is: Шкатулочка: Пособие по чтению для иностранцев, начинающих изучать русский язык It can be purchased here: https://ruslania.com/ru/knigi/38659-shk ... lnyj-etap/

Here's the link to another very good graded reader. Удивительные истории. 116 текстов для чтения, изучения и развлечения. I would suggest reading it only with a native speaker as there are no questions. Just read the stories on your own, then have a native speaker test you comprehension and review the grammatical constructions that you find interesting. You can also have a small conversation about the very story. https://ruslania.com/ru/knigi/40425-udi ... lechenija/
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Re: Why is it so damn hard to get started reading in Russian?

Postby IronMike » Mon Jun 20, 2022 11:15 pm

issemiyaki wrote:Here's the link to another very good graded reader. Удивительные истории. 116 текстов для чтения, изучения и развлечения. I would suggest reading it only with a native speaker as there are no questions. Just read the stories on your own, then have a native speaker test you comprehension and review the grammatical constructions that you find interesting. You can also have a small conversation about the very story. https://ruslania.com/ru/knigi/40425-udi ... lechenija/

I have about 10 or 12 of this series of books and they are all good and well worth the money. I was lucky enough to live in Moscow for a long time so would buy the ones that interested me at Дом Книги or Библио Глобус.
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